going over the cliff for them is not the worst of all possible worlds. they get the tax position that they want, they get spending cuts that they can basically live with, and obama is capable of managing the economic fallout of it. that's another reason why i think it's important that geithner is the front man here, that geithner is the type of guy who can talk to the street in a way that's very assuring. >> the street, not the streets. >> yeah. >> also if they -- if we go over the cliff, i mean, the republicans then look like they let it happen all for the 2% as michael was saying because that's what this becomes about. that's not something they want. it doesn't put them in a good position. to some degree this is a choreographed dance that has to happen. they cannot come to a deal without a humongous fight. >> this is also the white house i think has managed the optics well on this and dubbed it the great reasonableness tour of 2012. it's not a coincidence that the president was golfing with bill clinton this sudden. that is as much the president likes